“And we...” continues Sebastian. “We were forbidden to ever speak of him again. He was to be erased from history.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. The tension in the room is palpable, and I have so many questions. “How did he betray your Order?”
Sebastian takes a long swig of his drink, then looks at me. “He delved into dark magick and then used his new powers to slay a priest and his disciples. Dozens died by his hand.”
I can feel the blood drain from my face. "Why? Why would he do such a thing?"
Liam rubs at the scars on his arm. "The priest was burning women," he says, staring into the fire, the flames growing under his gaze. "He and his followers. If a woman opposed them, angered them in any way, they would declare her a witch and burn her at the stake."
"What the hell? That's…horrifying," I say. "They had to be stopped—"
"Yes, they had to be stopped," Sebastian says firmly, "but not that way. Not through cold-blooded murder. That was not—is not—our way. We could have persuaded the priest to change his ways. Our brother could have—"
"Cole," Derek says, interrupting Sebastian as he stands and faces the group. "His name was Cole. And he did what needed to be done. What we all should have done."
Cole. Cole Night. The man who haunts my dreams has a name. Is this why I feel such a pull to him, because of his connection to this family?
Sebastian frowns. “I recall you having a different opinion at the time, when we found out the truth of his actions." Sebastian's voice is cold. "Cole," he says with derision, "was punished fairly.”
“Cole,” Liam says softly, caressing the name like something very fragile. “I haven’t spoken that name in so very long.”
His tender words deflate the argument in the room. Even Sebastian softens, seeing the look on Liam's face, hearing the pain in his voice.
“It may have been Cole that Eve saw,” says Elijah. “Or it may have been a look-a-like. A doppelgänger."
"Escaping should have been impossible," Sebastian says.
"And yet, isn't our very existence proof that the impossible is anything but?" Elijah asks, holding out his hands.
"It's not a coincidence that Eve saw him—or someone looking like him—the night of the explosion," Derek says, furrowing his brow in worry. "He could be seeking revenge."
"We mustn't jump to conclusions," Elijah says, "but we can't dismiss the possibility that he escaped.” He pauses. “We must be sure. We must go back.”
Liam scowls. “I swore I would never return to that forsaken place.”
“Then you can stay," Elijah says. "But I will go."
“Go where?” I ask.
“To the birthplace of our Order," Elijah says softly. "To the place our brother was imprisoned.”
“You want to travel to England?” asks Liam. “Not exactly an easy trip without a dryad. How do you propose we—”
“I can help,” comes a familiar voice. Lily. She's standing in the doorway, leaning on a cane, a blanket draped over her slim shoulders. She looks weak, weary, but her skin is healed of the burns, only some puckered skin remains in the places she was injured the worst.
“Lily!” I stand and walk over to her, hugging her gently.
She chuckles. "I won't break. I'm stronger than I look."
I pull away and study her as the brothers crowd around us. "We've been so worried."
Liam—ever the healer—feels her head and her pulse and studies her carefully.
Lily rolls her eyes. "I'm well, Uncle. I swear," she says, giving Liam's hand a squeeze. "Matilda told me about your arrest, and I overheard what you said about Cole. I can move the castle to England."
“No,” says Liam. “You are in no condition to travel.”
"But if she can—" Elijah says, ever the pragmatist.
"No," Liam says again, this time more firmly. "I am her healer, and I say she needs at least another week of rest. I will not compromise her health for our convenience."
Even Elijah can't argue with this. No one wants Lily hurt more than she already has been.
The dryad moves into the study to sit on a chair in front of the fire, warming her hands briskly. "Very well," she says. "But I might know someone who can help. Another dryad. Kaya." Lily glances away shyly, her cheeks flushing. "Tell her I sent you, and she should be able to take you where you need to go."
That settles it. It is too late to visit Kaya tonight, but we all agree to touch base with her in the morning and see if she will help us. For now, Elijah gets the details from Lily about where to find the dryad, and Liam makes sure Lily gets back to her tree to rest. Which is what we all need at this point.
Rest. Not a tree to sleep in.
The next morning, I rise early, grab my cloak and bag, and get ready for our trip. I've always wanted to go to England. I just never imagined I would travel there via dryad magic. But it sure beats international flights.
All four brothers come, as I expected, and so the five of us set out in the carriage. Elijah and Derek sit up front, leaving me in the back with Liam and Sebastian. It's a mostly silent drive as we travel through the town and into a densely populated residential area that lasts for miles before we reach a clearing that leads us to a bumpy dirt road and a lot of forest and hills.
I lean back and close my eyes, replaying all of the new information I've learned over the course of the last few days. My mind keeps returning to Cole. To his face. His eyes. His haunting energy.
When the carriage begins to slow after several hours of butt-bruising travel, I peer out the window and gasp. The Dragon's Breath that fills the sky with color seems to have created a wall of furious green fire that emits such heat we can hardly get closer without burning alive. Already sweat is beading on my forehead and dripping into my eyes. The weirdest thing is that at the base of this green wall of fire, everything just… ends. The trees, the grass, the road. It all disappears. As far as the eye can see.
"It's the edge of The Otherworld," Liam says.
"The edge?" I ask, stunned. "Like… there's nothing beyond that wall?"
He nods.
"Does it encase everything, this wall? Like in a circle or something?"
"There is a perimeter to the world," the fire Druid says. "But most of it is unreachable, at the far edge of steep mountains or great bodies of water. This is the most accessible location."
"Huh. So, it's not a globe, like Earth?" I ask. I've seen maps, of course, in the many books I've read, but I never really considered the shape or magnitude of the world. I never considered that it would have an edge. An end.
"This world is much smaller than yours," Liam says. "And no, it's not a globe."
The idea of this makes my mind spin.
The carriage stops, and we all get out and stretch. My body is bruised, tired, and achy, and I wonder at how people in my world traveled like this throughout history. It's back breaking.
We emerge into a magnificent grove of wood. In a large circle, a fair distance from the fiery edge of the world, smaller saplings sway in the hot wind, and in the middle is a tree much larger than Lily's, its snowy white leaves a sharp contrast to the green hue cast by the Dragon's Breath wall.
There's shouting coming from the center of the grove and as we move towards the conflict we see a dryad, skin green and hair red as blood, yelling at two Enforcers dressed in black cloaks, while a cloven-hooved woman holding a baby cowers behind her.
"These are my clients, and they are getting in," the dryad screams, shielding the woman with her own body. The largest center tree seems to respond to her anger, branches rippling with the dryad's words.
"Kaya," the Enforcer closest to her says, holding out a hand. “The new rules dictate creatures must have a valid permit to enter the Otherworld...”
His voice is familiar, as are the tiny horns on his head. He's the same Enforcer who stopped us to search our carriage the night of the fire.
“This is complete crap,” Kaya says. “A dragon egg goes missing and su
ddenly everyone’s a potential criminal. Unless they have enough money to buy their innocence, of course.”
The Enforcer looks over to the woman with the baby. "I'm sorry, miss, but you'll have to leave the Otherworld and come back with a permit—"
The woman cries, clutching her child to her chest. "Please, sir. I must stay. We're being hunted. We won't survive if you send us back."
The Enforcer steps forward holding a black wooden rod in one hand. He reaches around the dryad to grab the woman with the other hand. "I'm sure you'll find a way."
"And how is she to get a permit, which can only be issued by your department, if she's not here?" Kaya asks.
The second Enforcer pulls Kaya away from the woman, pinning her to her own tree with his wooden rod, and as he does, it zaps with an electric magnet that shocks Kaya, causing her to scream. "That will be enough argument from the likes of you," he says through gritted teeth, his fist balled, and his body poised for a fight.
The woman in question collapses to her knees, pulling out of the first Enforcer's grasp.
She cries, cradling her screaming infant. "No. Please. I beg you. If I can't stay, take my child…" Her pleas are desperate, grasping at the last remnants of hope for her child, if not herself. She holds the baby out like an offering to a cruel god, and the Enforcer pauses, his face troubled as he glances at his partner who doesn't appear nearly as bothered by conscience. He looks back at the woman but avoids eye contact. "I'm sorry, but I have my own young ones, and if I don't follow the rules, then…"
Enough is enough. I can't watch any more of this.
"Let go of them," I say in my most commanding voice. I walk forward holding up the dragon ring I received earlier. "On order of Ava'Kara, let this woman and her child through."
The Enforcer freezes, his eyes darting between me and the ring I now wield like a weapon.
My heart is pounding in my chest, and I'm soaking my tunic with sweat, the heat of the Dragon’s breath rolling off my skin. Behind me I can feel the Night brothers staring, their eyes drilling holes in my back.
While his partner looks annoyed at my intervention, the head Enforcer looks confused as to the right course of action. "But my orders…" he says.
I think he wants a way out of this. I don't believe he wants this woman and her child to die, but he’s also a man who follows the law blindly, who values his own safety and health above that of others. He is like so many in my world who refuse to challenge what is clearly wrong, who refuse to look at the whole truth. Willfully blind and just as dangerous, just as cruel and evil as those who actively seek to harm. Maybe even worse, because their evil is subtle, insidious, unintentional. It's caused more by self-interest and an unwillingness to challenge a corrupt system, than by any truly evil aspiration. It is the most prevalent kind of evil, and it enrages me to see it played out with such crass openness. He justifies it to himself because he thinks he's protecting his own family. His own children. But what of this woman? What of her child? What of their lives?
"Your orders are overruled," I say. "The dragons created this quarantine, did they not?"
He nods nervously.
"Then they are in a position to modify it as the need arises. I carry the authority of Ava'Kara. This woman and her child are clearly no threat, and they just as clearly are not hiding any egg. Let them through."
"Yes," he says, glancing once more at my ring. "Let them go."
His partner hesitates, and I see the small sadistic part of him that likes this power. Likes making others feel weaker. Less than. He likes being the big man with the big stick. He doesn't like that I'm taking it away from him.
"Let them go!" The Enforcer repeats again, and his partner pulls away from Kaya and spits on the ground by the tree. Kaya rights herself slowly, her eyes locked on the man who electrocuted her. She looks pissed, and I don't blame her. I'm pissed on her behalf, and I wasn't the one manhandled.
"Welcome to the Otherworld," the head Enforcer says, tipping his hat to the woman and her child. "I apologize for the—uh—for the misunderstanding."
Misunderstanding. Right. If we hadn't been here, they would have shoved her back into a world where she was being hunted. A world that would have killed them both, likely after doing unspeakable things to her.
He turns to leave, his partner following him. As he walks past me, he mumbles a ‘thank you.’
I reach for his arm and pause him. "You might want to find work more suited to you," I whisper, giving him a meaningful look. He nods and continues walking.
The woman stands and comes to me, her eyes streaming with tears. "Thank you. You saved us."
I place a hand on her shoulder. "I hope you find safety here."
She sniffs and nods, and other dryads I didn't see before now come out of their trees to escort care for her and the child.
"Come, love," one says, taking her arm gently. "Let's get you cleaned up and find somewhere for you to stay."
Liam steps up to me, placing a hand on my back, a small smile on his face. "You sure know how to make an entrance."
"I guess you're not the only one with a temper," I say.
Kaya walks over to me and bows her head. "Thank you. It's not often someone bearing one of the dragon's seals actually helps me. Usually they're just trying to shut down my business."
"And what is your business?" I ask, curious.
“Helping folks get to the Otherworld, even if they can’t pay their way." She cocks her head. "Especially if they can’t pay their way.”
“That sounds like a good cause," I say, holding out a hand to shake hers. "I'm Eve Oliver. My friend, Lily, said you may be able to help us.”
At Lily's name, Kaya's face lights up. “Lily. How’s she doing? Still getting into trouble?”
I pause. Clearly, she hasn't heard. "Lily was…she was injured in the explosion that happened in town. But she's recovering well."
Kaya's face pales. She looks over to the brothers. "You must be her uncles?"
"We are," Derek says, as the rest of them join us.
“She told me about you all,” she says.
"Only believe the good things," Derek says, with a grin.
Kaya laughs. "It's all good things. She cares about you a lot."
"It's mutual," Sebastian says. "She's family."
Kaya nods. "Well, Eve Oliver and Lily's Uncles…tell me what you need, and I’ll see what I can do. For Lily.”
Elijah explains where we need to go.
“A two-way trip, huh?” Kaya strokes her chin, thinking. “Better make it fast. I have somewhere to be.”
We follow her to the center tree, the largest of the grove, and we all lay our hands upon it. The bark feels rough against my palms, but I have only a moment to notice it before everything begins to spin and my vision is filled with a blinding light.
We appear under a different sky, dark and filled with thousands of stars. It's a strange sight after being away from the mundane world for so long. I miss the colors of the Dragon's Breath, but it is good to see the stars and a brilliant full moon again. The air is moist and fresh and smells of recently fallen rain against earth and grass. There's familiarity here, this world that I'm from, but it no longer feels like home, I realize. The Otherworld has become my home. The Night brothers, my family.
"Be quick," says Kaya, leaning against the trunk of her tree and lighting a pipe that she takes a deep inhale from. "Time’s a ticking."
I turn to follow the Night brothers, since they seem to know where we are and where we're going. We’re surrounded by trees on all sides, deep, shady forests that have come alive with the sounds of the night, of creatures scurrying under brush and birds flitting through the branches.
We walk down a narrow dirt path that leads to old stones peeking from beneath the dirt and moss. The ruins of an ancient building.
"What happened here?" I ask, looking at half-broken columns and empty fountains.
“Time,” says Elijah. “It did to this place as it does to all
things.”
“Not all things,” I say. “Not you.”
“We, too, are ruins of what we once were.” He flexes his hand, and a cool gust of wind picks up. “And yet, for some reason, our powers are returning.”
Sebastian nods. “I felt it, too. When I lifted the rocks off Derek.”
Elijah glances down at his hands again. “Perhaps Dracula’s compulsion was affecting us in more ways than we realized.”
Maybe Dracula was limiting their powers, but why? What did he have to gain?
Derek moves to walk by my side, pulling me from my thoughts. “Here is where new apprentices would sleep,” he says, pointing to a ruin to the left. More broken columns and shattered walls. “And here used to be the baths. A part of me wishes I could go back in time. Sink my feet into the warm water.” He closes his eyes and inhales deeply, and for a moment, he seems somewhere else, a smile on his face.
I notice three statues ahead. Large robed figures, their faces devoid of features, one face broken off. The detail is exquisite. Though they are carved of stone, the fabric on their bodies looks as if it could blow away in the breeze. What artistry and craftsmanship.
When Sebastian sees the statues, he bows his head as if in reverence.
“Who are they?” I ask.
“The three Fates,” says Derek. “The Maiden, Mother, and Crone. They were the leaders of our Order.”
Elijah nods. “It was said that the Crone could see into the past. The Mother things of the present. And the Maiden things of the future.”
I freeze, thinking of Adam and his claims of future sight. “I thought you said no one could see the future,” I whisper to Derek.
“No one but the Maiden,” he says. “And even then, I have my doubts.”
“Where are they now? The Fates?” I ask, my heart thundering in my chest as I try to make sense of what Adam said in relation to this new information. Could there be a connection?
“Gone,” says Derek. “Most likely dead. You see, when our brother was imprisoned, it was the beginning of the end. His actions, though deemed a crime, inspired the Maiden to pursue a different course. She became obsessed with stopping the horrible things she would foretell at all costs. Even if it meant doing horrible things in turn.”
I Am the Storm (The Night Firm Book 2) Page 7
